Wooing a Woman
by The Path of Supreme Conquest
Summary: Kagome and her brother are perfectly happy. Then, the neighbors come and their cousin comes to stay and Shippo falls in love and there's a desperately annoying inuyokai who doesn't seem to understand that Kagome knows everything and has it all under control. All Kagome wanted was to baby her older brother and make him happy. What did she do to deserve this pain? TEMPORARY HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

**This is for the prompt challenge thing.**

**My prompt: Stand back, I have no idea what I'm doing. (By: zeldahearts1337)**

**Enjoy!**

…

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

Kagome rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she looked at her adoptive brother. He had his signature stupid, adorably charming, lazy grin on his face, and his deep, peridot eyes were sparkling. He ran a hand through his flaming orange hair and winked at the girl next to him. She nearly melted into goo.

Kagome couldn't help giggling at the sight he made, surrounded by a bunch of giggling females. He loved every minute of it, and it showed. He was in his element.

She pursed her lips as she walked over to him. She didn't want to ruin his fun, but it was dinnertime, and while she acknowledged the fact that he was a powerful, 17 year-old kitsune –a full year older than she was and a youkai to boot– there was no way that she was going to stop babying him. That meant that she would track him down everyday if she had to, and drag him back home so that he received proper nourishment. If she didn't, he'd be malnourished! Or at the very least, anorexic.

"Shippo," she called out.

He turned to her with wide eyes, before he smiled the smile that he saved just for her.

Tactfully, he disentangled himself from the gaggle of girls and literally skipped over to her. On any other guy, it wouldn't have worked, but he made skipping cool.

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up in a hug. Kagome squealed. She would have been embarrassed, but seeing as all the other girls were squealing and staring with either dreamy or jealous eyes –the latter of which really made her head spin– she couldn't find it in herself to blush.

"Hey, sis," Shippo said, putting her down. "Time for dinner?"

She nodded firmly.

Turning around, Shippo gave a bow with a flourish that had his fangirls swooning. "Excuse me, ladies. We'll have to continue this later."

When Kagome saw how all of them were either blushing a color that resembled a deep burgundy or clutching their hearts, she rolled her eyes.

Grabbing her brother by the ear, she pulled him along.

"Ow! Kagome, let go!"

She didn't listen to him, and instead dragged him all the way back home, up the shrine steps, and into the house, not bothering to pay attention to the stares.

When they were inside, she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

"You just had to wink, didn't you? We can't pay for all those lawsuits if the girls decide to sue. You'd be the cause of a mass epidemic of heart attacks."

Shippo cocked an eyebrow as he pitifully rubbed at his sore, pointed ear. "Is epidemic the right word?"

Kagome scoffed and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist, before she washed her hands.

Shippo walked into the kitchen and leaned against the wall, looking at his sister. His eyes softened as she bit her lip contemplatively and opened the refrigerator.

"Where's Mom?" he asked softly, even though he didn't really care.

It wasn't as if he wasn't grateful for all the woman had done for him. He was, but Kagome was the only person he cared about. After all, she was the one who had, at the tender age of 7, looked up facts on kitsune life-style. He remembered back when they were younger and he used to watch her search through books and on the Internet about everything kitsune. She would institute what she had learned into daily life, and he remembered being astonished that anyone could care that much for someone who wasn't blood. That anyone would do that much.

She was still like that, and, sometimes, he was still astonished.

Kagome hummed lightly, pulling Shippo out of his thoughts. "She's out at work. Apparently there's this new family moving in a few houses down. They're big time rich and big time powerful, so she's fawning over them. What's the name? Tanto? No. Toshi? That's not it. T-"

"Taisho?" Shippo suggested.

Kagome whirled around. "That's it. How'd you know?"

"The girls were talking about it. Apparently, I'm going to have some competition. There are two sons and, supposedly, one of them is drop-dead gorgeous and the other is hotter than the sun."

Shippo chuckled as his sister's eye twitched. She could never bring herself to care as much about looks as other girls did. Unless those looks involved ears and/or tails, of course. Then she was more obsessive than his stalkers. Shippo's tail swished at the thought.

Then, all of a sudden, he pouted. "This is terrible."

"What is?" Kagome asked absent-mindedly.

"That those guys are coming. The girls will be divided, or they might just leave me all together! What am I going to do?"

Kagome turned from the stove where she was preparing their meal. "If they leave you, then I'll blackmail them into coming back. I know a few things about Souten that would blow your mind."

Shippo's eyes sharpened. "Like what?"

Kagome turned around and went back to cooking. "Wash up and set the table. Dinner will be done in an hour."

"Then why do I have to wash up and set the table now?"

Kagome turned to him with her head cocked and brow furrowed.

"Because I… said so?"

She shrugged and Shippo shrugged with her.

"Good enough," he said, before walking out of the kitchen.

…

A few hours later, long after dinner, Kagome and Shippo were sitting on the couch. They were watching a soap opera. Kagome was crying into Shippo's shoulder and Shippo's eyes were suspiciously red.

"That was so sad," Kagome cried.

Shippo cleared his throat. "It wasn't sad," he said, but it was clear he was lying.

Kagome sniffed, and the pair lapsed into silence as they watched the credits.

The peaceful quiet was broken when the phone gave a shrill ring.

Kagome turned around and reached for the end table. She grabbed the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked in a watery voice.

"Kagome," her mother's voice sounded. "Are you okay? Have you been crying, dear?"

"I'm fine, Mom. How was the meeting? Did you get them to sign the contract?"

"I did. The Taisho's are officially our new neighbors. But that isn't why I was calling. My sister called me and said that she wants Kikyo to come and visit. Your cousin will be arriving tomorrow. Will you set up a futon in your room?"

Kagome waved her hand dismissively. "No need. Kikyo can have my room. I'll sleep in Shippo's."

"Oh," the frown in Ms. Higurashi's voice could be clearly heard. "Are you sure?"

Shippo leaned over and pulled the phone from Kagome. "I'm fine with it," he said, before giving the phone back to his sister. He settled himself comfortably on her back and closed his eyes.

Kagome sighed, but didn't push him away. "You heard him, Mom."

"That's not what I meant," her mother said dryly.

Kagome was completely in the dark, but Shippo snorted behind her, utterly repulsed at the unsaid worry in his adopted mother's voice.

"Anyway, Mom," Kagome said, ready to turn back to the TV, "it's fine. Are you coming home now?"

"Yes, dear."

"Okay. See you then."

Kagome hung up and placed the phone on the hook.

"Shippo, get off."

"Why?" he mumbled into her back.

"I have to go clean up my room."

"It can wait. I don't feel like moving."

Kagome shifted and slid from under her brother, letting him fall face first onto the couch. She stifled her giggles as he groaned.

"You're so mean, Kagome."

"I am not."

Shippo shot up suddenly. "I've changed my mind!"

"About what?" Kagome asked, unperturbed at the sudden change. It's the sort of thing you get used to over the course of 9 years. Not to mention she did it too.

"About letting you sleep in my room."

"Why?"

"Your powers go crazy in your sleep sometimes."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I'd never hurt you."

Shippo looked at her suspiciously. "Okay. But you still kick hard."

Kagome scoffed. "What sort of youkai are you?"

"The tender-skinned sort!"

Kagome's eyes lit up in amusement. "Seriously? Okay, I'll remember that."

So saying, Kagome walked out of the room and headed upstairs, leaving Shippo to wonder if maybe he shouldn't have answered the way he did.

…

The next day saw the whole Higurashi family up early on Sunday.

Kagome and Shippo sat at the table eating a meal that Kagome had prepared, while Ms. Higurashi was running around the house cleaning up.

"Mom, what's the big deal? Kikyo won't mind if the floors aren't sparkling," Kagome said to her frantic mother.

Shippo leaned over to whisper in her ear. "She actually might."

Kagome turned to Shippo with a frown. He merely shrugged and went back to eating breakfast. Kagome huffed. They always had a small disagreement over Kikyo. Kagome loved Kikyo, Shippo didn't, and he didn't want to. Kagome pouted as her brother avoided her gaze.

The doorbell rang, and Ms. Higurashi went into overdrive.

"I'll get it," Kagome said, standing up.

Before she left the room, she ruffled Shippo's hair. "Keep the pranks directed at Kikyo to a 3 per day maximum."

Shippo's mouth dropped open. "Only 3 per day? That's tight."

Kagome rolled her eyes, not at all believing that it was as tight as he thought and went to get the door. She frowned however, as she reached it. She could distinctly feel the presence of youki on the other side of the door, and not a single ounce of the holy power that she knew her cousin emanated.

Kagome frowned. She didn't recognize the auras, but she was sure that they were bad people. And if they weren't, they probably wanted to punish her brother for flirting with one of their female family members.

Making a decision, Kagome hissed under her breath, knowing her brother would hear her. "Shippo, it's a code 13!"

He was by her side in an instant. He pulled a leaf out of his pocket and transformed.

He was shorter, black-haired, brown-eyed, and human.

"Shall we, my dear?" he said in a voice that was a smidge deeper than his own.

She took his arm. "Of course, darling."

Shippo opened the door and cocked his head at the sight in front of him.

There were two full-fledged inu-daiyoukai, one inu-hanyou, and two humans. It was the second human that had him doing a double take.

She was tiny, as small as his sister, with big brown eyes and black hair. She was gorgeous in a cute way, not to mention she smelled nice, and in that moment, Shippo knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Most people would consider it stupid, and probably shallow, that he wanted to marry a girl who he had only just met, especially when he hadn't even met her, but spending time around his sister had taught him how to judge people with a look –it was a necessary skill when people kidnapped you because you were a trouble magnet– and he could tell that she was the sort of girl who could make him happy, and the sort of girl he could make happy. She reminded him of his sister, so he knew that she was perfect, or quite near it, since the only person he knew that was perfect was Kagome, and he knew that no one could ever compare to her.

Suddenly, he was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a nudge in his side. He jumped back into character, trying to ignore the girl who had caught his attention.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow and looking at the elder of the two inu-daiyoukai.

"We were informed that this was the house of our realtor, Ms. Higurashi."

Blinking, Shippo looked down at his sister, who grinned up at him sheepishly. "False alarm," she said with a shrug.

With a puff of smoke, Shippo turned back into is original form.

Looking at the guests who were still outside, he smirked. They looked more than a little confused.

Sharing a look, Kagome and Shippo decided not to tell them what had just happened.

Instead, Kagome acted the part of the perfect hostess, which she was, and gave a gracious smile, pretending that what had happened, hadn't just happened.

"Why don't you come in? My mother is in the living room cleaning up a bit."

She gave Shippo a wink, and he nodded, going ahead, but not before casting a longing look at the human girl who had caught his eye.

Kagome noticed, and blinked, before a sly smirk wormed its way onto her face. She looked at the girl and instantly decided that she wasn't good enough for her brother, but since no one was good enough for him, that she would do just fine.

Kagome ushered in the guests and led them to the living room. They sat down and Kagome looked at Shippo. He was sneaking not very discreet looks at the girl.

Hiding a smirk, Kagome cleared her throat. "Did you tell Mom?"

"Yeah," he said distractedly. "She said she'd come down in a minute."

He trailed off into silence and began to stare openly at the girl.

Kagome began to giggle, and then she began to chuckle, and then she laughed, and then she cackled.

By the time she had started cackling, everyone was staring at her, and Shippo was nearly cowering in his seat, his tail swishing violently.

Then Ms. Higurashi came in.

"Oh! Mr. Taisho! Mrs. Taisho! It's a pleasure. What have you- Kagome, what are you doing?"

Kagome's cackling stopped abruptly. "I guess I'll leave it alone for now."

She covered the lower half of her face with her arm, trying and failing to smother her giggles, and rushed up the stairs, leaving a very confused group behind her.

"Umm…" was how Mr. Taisho started.

"Don't," Shippo said, cutting him off. "Just… just don't. It's best not to question her."

Before another word could be said, the doorbell rang.

"Oh!" Ms. Higurashi said. "That'll be Kikyo."

Shippo stood, an impish grin in place. "I'll get it."

He was about to do just that, when Kagome rushed into the room and tackled him to the ground.

"Absolutely not! I will get the door," she said from her place on top of her brother's back. She scrambled to her feet and left the room to get the door.

Shippo groaned without getting up.

Mr. Taisho chuckled. "Quite the kids you have here, Ms. Higurashi."

"Thank you," she said in a voice that was slightly disbelieving.

"I agree," Mrs. Taisho said. "They're much more entertaining than our children."

Shippo got up, setting his weight on his elbows. "We try."

The woman's lips twitched.

Before another word could be said, however, into the room rushed Kagome. She stepped on Shippo, before straddling his back.

"Code 4!"

"Seriously? She's a code 4?" Shippo asked incredulously.

"Don't seriously me! Hurry up! We have to-"

She cut herself off. Into the room walked an elegant girl who looked only a year or two older than Kagome. Besides the obvious age difference, they could have been twins.

Kagome sharply dropped her head onto Shippo's.

"Ow!" they both said simultaneously.

Kagome's look-a-like sighed. "Your both making a scene, and Auntie has guests. Control yourselves."

"Bleh, blah, blah! 'Control yourselves!'" Shippo whispered under his breath in a poor imitation of Kikyo.

Kagome slapped his head. "What part of code 4 don't you understand?"

"The 4 part. I mean, I could understand if she was a 6 or even a 12, but a 4? Come on."

Kagome sighed. "Look at her."

Shippo lifted his head up.

Kikyo was extremely pale and quite thing. She held herself in an odd way and there was a look in her eye that sent chills down both Kagome and Shippo's spines.

Shippo clanched before blanching. "Woah. She's definitely a code 4."

"Exactly! Why don't you listen to me?"

"I don't know! I'll never not listen to you again, I swear sis!"

That being said, he got up swiftly, with Kagome still on his back, and disappeared out of the room.

He jumped up the stairs and ran to his room, slamming and locking the door. He set Kagome onto his bed, before turning to her.

"She is most definitely being inhabited by the spirit of a dead woman seeking to take vengeance on me for hurting her daughter. This has only ever happened twice, and I never thought that one of the spirits would try to inhabit the body of a miko! What are we going to do, Kagome?"

Kagome frowned. "We'll have to exorcise her. I have some sutras that I got from Miroku. Uh… I put them under your pillow."

Kagome turned and rummaged under Shippo's pillow. She pulled out a few slips of paper and nodded.

"You distract them, I'll attack when nobody is paying attention."

Shippo nodded.

"Kagome! Shippo!" a voice sounded suddenly from downstairs. "Come down and say hello to the new neighbors and help bring Kikyo's bag upstairs."

Shippo smirked. "Let's do this, partner."

Shippo and Kagome walked down stairs and Kagome waited outside of the door as Shippo walked in.

"Mom?" he asked casually.

"Where's Kagome?"

"She'll be in soon."

Ms. Higurashi nodded. "Shippo, this is Mr. Toga Taisho, and his wife Izayoi Taisho. That is Mr. Taisho's first son, Sesshomaru. That is Mr. Taisho and Mrs. Taisho's son, Inuyasha. And that, is their adopted daughter, Rin."

Shippo's mind went blank when he looked at Rin. Luckily, before he could make a fool of himself, Kagome jumped into the room and flung a miko power-charged sutra at Kikyo.

"Begone evil spirit!"

The sutra stuck to Kikyo's forehead, and everybody stared.

"Good job, Kagome," Shippo said approvingly, tearing his gaze from his future wife.

Kagome smiled. "Thanks. It wasn't actually that hard. I mean-"

"What is the meaning of this?" Kikyo asked calmly, pulling the sutra off of her forehead.

"You were possessed by an evil spirit. Don't worry, I took care of it," Kagome said soothingly, not noticing that Kikyo was completely unchanged.

"I was not possessed."

"Uh, yeah, you were."

"I think I would know if I was possessed."

Shippo walked over to Kagome. "I doubt it," he whispered.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but shrugged in response.

"It doesn't really matter. What matters is that both of you are safe from the spirit. And even if you weren't possessed," Kagome said in a tone that showed she was only placating her cousin, "it's better to be safe than sorry."

A tense silence descended upon everyone in the room, aside from Kagome and Shippo. They were wrapped in a perfect little bubble of comfortable silence, and couldn't bother to lower themselves to the realm of regular bubble tense silence that other people lived in.

Ms. Higurashi cleared her throat.

"Well, umm, Kagome, this is Mr. Taisho. That's his wife, Mrs. Taisho, and their son, Inuyasha. That's Mr. Taisho's son Sesshomaru, and that's Rin, she was adopted."

Kagome nodded through each introduction, until her mother got to Rin. She grinned, coming up with an idea that she deemed absolutely perfect.

"Rin!" she rushed over to her and grabbed her hand. "You look nice. I want to get to know you. We can go upstairs and talk. Kikyo's staying in my room, but we can go up in Shippo's room. There's nothing to worry about, of course. He's the only boy I know that doesn't read girlie magazines."

Shippo was blushing hugely by the end of her statement. Ms. Higurashi and Kikyo both looked disappointed in Kagome, and slightly flustered.

Before the stunned Taisho's could process what Kagome had said, however, Kagome pulled Rin off the couch and ran with her out of the room.

Shippo's eyes widened and he suddenly ran after them.

He leaped up the stairs and saw only Kagome at his door.

"Where is she?" he hissed, still blushing.

"In there."

"You pushed her in my room? She's in there alone?"

"Yeah. Does it matter? You don't have any of the magazines, after all. Right?"

Shippo gulped before shaking his head. "I don't," he said truthfully, "but she's in my room!"

"Exactly! This is how I planned it. I knew you would follow me, so go talk to her. Don't put my hard work to waste!"

Shippo blinked, blushing even harder. "What- what do you mean?"

At Kagome's cocked eyebrow, Shippo flushed further. "Don't play dumb, Shippo! I know you like her. I can tell. She's cute, and she seems like a good choice."

Shippo nodded. "Right. So I should talk to her. That's cool."

Shippo gulped and his shoulders dropped. Kagome ran to her brother and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I believe in you! Go for it!"

She pushed him slightly and Shippo stumbled. "All right," he said nervously. "Stand back, I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but took a few steps away from both the door and her brother. "Of that, I am aware. You've never been seriously attracted to a girl. This'll be a big first step for you. I'll wait here in the hallway. Code 5 me if something goes wrong."

Shippo nodded. "Right."

Gulping nervously, Shippo took a deep inhale, taking in his sister's scent to give him strength. Nodding with renewed vigor, Shippo opened the door to his room and shut it behind him.

Kagome looked at the door and placed a hand on her chin. She cocked her head and furrowed her brow.

"I wonder if that was weird of me to do. I mean, poor Rin, she must be confused. I just pushed her in there and sent in Shippo. I wonder if maybe I'm moving to fast."

"You are speaking to yourself."

Kagome jumped lightly and squeaked. She placed a hand over her heart and turned around.

Standing behind her was Sesshomaru. His eyebrow was raised and she glowered.

"You shouldn't scare people like that."

His eyebrow was still raised.

"Is it a crime to talk to yourself?"

He ignored her and changed the subject abruptly. "My sister is in there. As is your kitsune. If he should try anything, I will kill him."

Kagome rolled her eyes and waved the threat away, not worried in the least. She knew her brother wouldn't try anything. He hadn't even had his first kiss yet. There was nothing he could try that wouldn't bring out the coward in him.

"Whatever. You don't have to worry about him trying anything, at least, not until they're married at any rate."

"What?" Sesshomaru said sharply.

Kagome looked up at him. "Yeah, they're going to get married. Didn't you know?"

Sesshomaru glared at her. "My sister will not marry your… brother."

Kagome scowled at his condescending sneer. "They will get married, just you wait."

Sesshomaru snarled at her. "I would never allow my sister to marry him."

"It's not really your decision, is it? I mean, you aren't alpha. Not yet."

Sesshomaru growled, and the two of them were face to face, their noses nearly touching, not that either of them noticed or cared.

Suddenly, they heard a shriek and the distinct sound of flesh against flesh.

The door opened suddenly, and a very red Rin walked out of the room. She stomped between Kagome and Sesshomaru, causing both of them to pull apart and blink in confusion.

Shippo walked into the hallway, a red handprint on his cheek.

"Code 5," he said weakly. "That didn't turn out as well as I thought it would."

A small smirk appeared on Sesshomaru's face.

"It appears that they will not be getting married after all."

"They will!" Kagome yelled. "Just you wait."

Sesshomaru huffed and turned on his heel to walk down the stairs.

Kagome glared at him until he was out of sight, before looking at her brother. "What happened?"

"I was following Miroku's advice on how to get a woman to fall in love with you. It worked for him and Sango, and I remember him saying something about it one time."

Kagome stared at him before sighing. "Why would you follow his advice, Shippo?"

"It's not my fault! I told you I didn't know what I was doing."

Kagome nodded and opened up her arms. Shippo walked over and buried his face in her neck.

"Oh, Shippo. It'll be all right. I'll help you out. When was the last time I let you down? Just listen to my advice from now on, and she'll be yours in less than a year."

Shippo whimpered, but nodded.

"Good. Now, why don't you lie down? I'll get you a special treat, hmm?"

Shippo nodded again and shuffled back to his room.

Kagome groaned in the hallway.

Her life had just become infinitely more complicated.

…

**It was stupid and I had a hard time leading up to the prompt point and I feel like a major failure, but hey, I did it!**

**NOTE: Total one-shot.**

**Adios!**

**(Is that Spanish or Portuguese?) **

**T.N.T!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so here is the lead up to my challenge one-shot that turned into a chapter story after much internal debate.**

**Enjoy!**

…

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

Kagome sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. It was dark and she could barely see. Of course, that could be attributed to the fact that it was the middle of the night.

Kagome heaved another sigh as she contemplated the events of the day. After Shippo had gone and acted like Miroku, Rin had glared at him and had made it abundantly clear that she would never talk to him again.

Kagome bit her lip and turned onto her side. A small smile came to her face as she looked at her brother. He was so adorable and sweet, but he had really messed up with Rin. He had absolutely no knowledge on how to woo a girl he was seriously in love with.

Kagome groaned and poked his nose. She watched as it twitched, before her brother rolled onto his back.

She glared at him and propped herself up onto her elbow. She began to repeatedly poke his cheek and he made an odd gurgling sound that had Kagome giggling. She rolled her eyes and sat up fully. What would Rin say if she knew that he drooled?

Kagome leaned over her brother and contemplated on just how she was going to wake him up.

She cocked her head, before her eyes lit up. Reaching out her hand, she grabbed a lock of his hair and gave a yank.

Shippo jumped up with a yelp and placed his hand to his scalp. He turned to Kagome with large, watery eyes and a big pout. He sniffled lightly. "Why did you do that, sis?"

Kagome grinned. "I needed to wake you up," she whispered under her breath.

"Why?"

Kagome stared at him blankly. "Why? Why did I wake you up? I- I don't know."

Shippo stared at his sister before shrugging. "Oh well. I'll go back to sleep."

"Don't!"

"Why not?" Shippo asked, now thoroughly bemused. As much as he loved her, he would readily admit to anyone who asked that she was by far the most confusing being on the planet. It was nearly impossible to follow her train of thought. Even a mind reader they met once was so disturbed by the connections she made in the confines of her brain that he asked to be killed so as to escape from the torture that came with listening to her thoughts. Kagome had been greatly offended.

"Shippo, are you listening to me?" Kagome ground out as she noticed the faraway look in her brother's eyes.

Shippo blinked rapidly. "Huh?"

Kagome sighed. "Let's go downstairs. I want to get some water."

Shippo got out of bed and Kagome followed after him. She grabbed his hand and he led her down the stairs.

Once they reached the kitchen, Shippo flicked on the light switch and leaned against the wall while Kagome grabbed a cup from the cabinet.

She filled it with water before grabbing Shippo's hand and pulling him to the dining area. They both sat down and Kagome took a long sip of her water.

"Is that good water?" Shipp asked, waiting to hear what she had to say to him.

Kagome frowned. "Take this seriously."

Shippo blinked. "What am I taking seriously again?"

Kagome frowned at her brother before she pouted. "Shouldn't you know instinctually what I'm talking about? What sort of brother are you? You should be taking Rin seriously, isn't that obvious?"

Shippo blinked before nodding. "I do take her seriously. I love her!"

Kagome stared and raised her hands in the air. "Woah, woah, woah! Back up the train! You're moving too fast there, conductor. I know that you'll eventually marry her and the two of you will give me plenty of gorgeous and adorable nieces and nephews, but you don't love her yet. You barely know her. You've been hanging out with Miroku too much. Honestly."

Shippo grinned sheepishly. "You're right. Sorry. I guess I'm just excited. I never though I'd actually find someone, because, you know…"

"The fan club?" Kagome said knowingly.

"Exactly. But she'll be perfect. Now, we only have to find someone for you."

Kagome nearly chocked on her water. She only coughed harder as her brother chuckled softly at her expense.

When she was finally able to breath again, she glared at Shippo. "What in the world are you thinking, saying something like that?"

"I'm thinking that I want nieces and nephews, just like you. And I'm thinking, that once I'm married, I don't want you to be alone. I'll always have time for you, but it won't be like before I was married. Instead of being the most important person in my life, you'll be one of the most important people in my life. I want you to be able to have someone to take care of you, even though you can take care of yourself. I don't want to get married and think, 'My sister is alone. I just left her like that to get married.' You know what I mean? I want you to find somebody that'll make you happy."

Kagome blinked as she looked at her brother, silently taking in what he had just said. She then let her head fall onto the table. She let out a groan. "My life is over. The world is over! You just made sense!"

Shippo chuckled, and the heavy atmosphere that had settled over them dissipated. "Are you trying to say that I don't regularly make sense?"

"No. I'm actually saying that you have never made sense. Ever."

Shippo laughed again and Kagome joined him. Shippo huffed and his laughter disappeared. "I mean it, Kagome. What I was saying before. I'm serious."

"I know you were, Shippo. Just find a guy you aren't going to kill for breathing in my general vicinity and I'll marry him."

Shippo stared at her before his mouth dropped open. "Seriously? That's going to be so hard! Can you ease up on the restrictions?"

"Nope. You'll find that I won't lower my standard for men under any circumstances."

Shippo dropped his head. "At this rate, I'll never find you a husband."

Kagome giggled. "Whatever. I'm tired. Carry me upstairs, Shippo?"

Shippo rolled his eyes, but swept his little sister up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed.

"I love you, Shippo."

"I love you too, Kagome."

…

Shippo woke up early, but apparently not early enough to beat his sister, or even his cousin.

As he took his shower, he grumbled to himself.

"What sort of human wakes up before a youkai? Is that even natural?"

He stopped complaining to himself when he got out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked downstairs, trailing water around the house.

He walked into the kitchen where Kikyo was helping Kagome make something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he really didn't care.

"Kagome!" he said, dragging out her name. "Will you brush my hair?"

Kagome didn't look up from the cutting board. "Sure, just hold on."

Kikyo looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at his lack of clothing. "You're going to brush his hair? It sounds rather… intimate."

Shippo growled. "What are you implying?"

Kagome turned on her heel, just as Kikyo opened her mouth. "Now that's enough," she said hotly. "Just what could she have been implying, Shippo?"

Shippo opened his mouth, but closed it just as quickly. Standing in front of him wearing an apron, her hair up in a sloppy bun, both hands on her hips –a knife in one of those hands– and her foot tapping impatiently, she was the very embodiment of motherly discipline. He couldn't look her in the eye, so he bowed his head. It was times like theses when everybody around them questioned who the elder sibling truly was.

Satisfied that Shippo had been properly cowed, she turned back to her cutting. "Go upstairs and get dressed. I'll be right up."

She heard her brother mutter his consent. She continued to chop the food on her board. It was a chocolate bar.

Finishing up her work in a few minutes, she turned to her cousin.

"Can you sprinkle this over the batter in the pan and put it in the oven? I have to go to Shippo."

Kikyo pursed her lips but nodded.

Kagome smiled, ignoring her cousin's expression, and slipped off her apron. She set it on the counter and turned to run upstairs.

She knocked once on Shippo's door.

"Come on in," Shippo droned out.

Kagome opened the door and skipped into the room. She went to the desk in the corner and picked up a hairbrush before she walked to the bed where Shippo was. Humming lightly, she sat behind him and ran her hands through his soaking wet hair.

"You should have towel dried it," she chastised playfully.

"Sorry, I didn't think about it."

Kagome clucked her tongue in a mocking manner before she began to brush out his hair. She wasn't entirely sure why he always asked her to do it; he had very short hair, after all. It didn't even fall past his neck. She wouldn't complain, though. She liked doing small things for him.

Kagome hummed under her breath, and Shippo sighed contentedly. "So," he said, breaking the relative silence. "What were you and Kikyo making?"

Kagome blinked before smiling, not that Shippo could see her. "Oh, we're making a strawberry chocolate cake. It's for Rin, to apologize for what you did."

Shippo winced. "I'm guessing I should come along too, huh?"

"Now I know the world is over. I've never known you to guess so accurately. Except for on your birthday."

Shippo rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.

A few minutes passed before Kagome set the brush down. "Come on, we need to prepare an apology speech for when we go to see Rin."

…

Kagome stood in front of the door of the modestly large house that belonged to the Taisho's. Looking to her left, she saw her brother slouching while holding the cake. She glared at him and he immediately straightened his back. She normally wasn't so uptight about posture, but when he was about to apologize to the future love of his life, all details had to be taken into account. On her right stood Kikyo. She wasn't exactly sure why her cousin had come, but she was fond of the saying, "the more the merrier," even if it wasn't always true. Of course, she had the smallest of suspicions that Kikyo had come to see one of the Taisho boys. Kagome giggled to herself.

Shippo cleared his throat and Kagome came back to reality.

Squaring her shoulders, she rang the doorbell.

Suddenly, she felt a spike in her brother's aura. She turned to him, only to have the cake forced into her arms.

"I can't do this!" he said hysterically.

So saying, he ran away, leaving both Kagome and Kikyo to stare after him. Kagome gaped with her mouth open, and Kikyo smirked lightly.

"Your brother is a coward."

Kagome wanted to defend him, she really did. But it was sort of hard.

Luckily, she didn't have to flounder for any words, because the door opened to reveal Mrs. Taisho.

"Oh!" she said. "Kikyo and Kagome. How nice of you to visit. Would you come in?"

Kagome nodded and together, Kikyo and Kagome followed their hostess into the house.

"Everybody's in the living room right now."

Kagome nodded silently as they left the foyer. They followed Mrs. Taisho through a hallway, and then through another hallway, and then another.

Kagome's eye twitched. "How big is this place?" she whispered in confusion.

Mrs. Taisho giggled and Kikyo shot her cousin a withering look.

Kagome had the decency to look abashed.

Suddenly, the hallway cut off and the group of three entered the living room. Mr. Taisho was sitting in an armchair typing away at his laptop. Inuyasha was playing Chinese checkers with Rin, and Sesshomaru was standing in the corner looking the part of the moody, misunderstood teenager.

When Kagome and Kikyo entered the room, his eyes immediately locked on Kagome and he glared. Kagome cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

She absolutely couldn't resist. "In time-out?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes further. He opened his mouth, but his father spoke before he could. "She's got a point, Sesshomaru. Either you're being punished or you're sulking. Move away from the corner."

Sesshomaru shot a look at the back of his father's head, but obliged. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him.

"Did you come here to annoy me?" Sesshomaru asked Kagome.

Kagome sniffed haughtily. "You're pretty full of yourself. I actually came for Rin."

The mentioned girl looked up from the game she was playing and turned to Kagome.

"Me? What for?"

Kagome held out the cake in her hands, and Rin came over to retrieve it. "To apologize for Shippo's behavior yesterday. He's been hanging out with some unsavory people lately-"

"You?" Sesshomaru cut in.

Kagome glared at him before looking back to Rin. "Anyway I just wanted to say sorry. I hope you'll be willing to forgive him. And me, for putting you in that situation."

Rin smiled brightly. "Of course. I forgive the both of you."

"What situation?" Toga asked, looking up from his laptop.

Both girls blushed vividly.

"No situation, Mr. Taisho!"

"Yeah, Dad! Where in the world did you get that from? Situation, ha!"

The two girls looked at each other and nodded in satisfaction. Toga blinked, thoroughly confused.

"Umm… I was wondering, Rin, if you would come and hang out with me today."

"Oh, that'd be great. Can I go?" Rin asked her parents.

"Whatever," Toga said, a bit put out at their terrible but effective effort to keep a secret.

"What about me?" Inuyasha asked.

"What about you?" both Rin and Kagome asked simultaneously.

Inuyasha scowled. "Feh!" he shouted, before stalking out of the room.

Kagome shrugged and proceeded to grab Rin's hand. "Kikyo, are you coming?"

As it turned out, Kikyo decided not to go with her cousin and Rin. She was in deep conversation with Mrs. Taisho.

Kagome shrugged. "Oh well. Looks like it's just you and me."

"Wrong," Sesshomaru said. "I will not leave my little sister alone in your company. You will corrupt her."

Kagome gaped at him in outrage before turning on her heel stiffly. "Come on, Rin," she said, clearly incensed.

Kagome stalked out of the room, dragging Rin behind her. Sesshomaru followed at a more sedate pace.

Toga raised an eyebrow after their departure. "I wonder what's going on there," he muttered to himself before he shrugged flippantly and returned to his computer screen.

…

Kagome and Rin walked together closely, seeming to all the outside world as if they had known each other for ages.

"But really, if you consider the herbal uses-"

Rin shook her head. "No! The smell has to be first on things to consider, right, Sesshomaru?" she looked behind her to her brother.

Sesshomaru blinked.

Rin nodded. "See? Even Sesshomaru thinks so."

Kagome looked at her oddly, before giggling. "I guess that's how people probably see me and Shippo when we do things like that."

Rin blinked at her confusedly, but before she could question what her new friend meant, Kagome pulled Rin to a stop.

It was obvious to both Rin and Sesshomaru that the girl was angry.

"I can't believe him!" Kagome said furiously, staring at her brother who was a few meters away, surrounded by his fanclub.

She automatically turned to Rin. "I'm so sorry for him! He's so terrible for doing this."

"She has no interest in him and, therefore, no idea what you are talking about," Sesshomaru said blandly.

Kagome ignored him and let go of Rin's arm. "I'll be right back, okay? Just hold on."

She walked straight up to Shippo and his fanclub. She put both of her hands on her hips and cleared her throat.

Shippo turned to her and then saw Rin. He looked back at his sister and blanched.

Kagome pointedly ignored him and instead turned her attention to the girls around them.

"Leave," she commanded.

When they opened their mouths to protest as a collective whole, Kagome glared at them. "I said leave. Now."

They all paled. None of them wanted to go against her, for various reasons. They all cleared out, leaving Shippo alone to face his sister.

"Now, Kagome-"

"Shippo! I can't believe you!" she hissed at him. "What about Rin?"

"I know! But it isn't like I was doing anything bad. They're just girls! Why are you so upset? It's not like I can't have girl friends when I date Rin! We aren't even dating yet!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "It doesn't matter if you aren't dating! And you can't have girl friends when you start dating!"

"What? Really? So I can't have friends that are girls after I start dating Rin? Why not? If you started dating, could you have friends that were boys?"

"Yes!"

"What? Double standard!"

"I know."

Shippo looked at her. He really didn't have a response to that. He changed the subject. "Well, it's not even like it's bad or anything for me to hand out with them. It would make her jealous, right?"

Kagome looked at him incredulously. "You cannot be serious right now."

"I am!"

Kagome smacked Shippo's arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "I told you I'm tender skinned!"

"Where in the world are you learning this stuff? First you grope her, and then you try and make her jealous! Did Miroku advise you to do that, too?"

"No. Koga did."

Kagome stared at him. "We have got to get you smarter friends. In the mean time," she said, grabbing Shippo's ear and yanking it, "you will stop going to them for advice. I want to help you out, but if you keep making a fool of yourself, not even I will be able to clean up your mess."

Shippo whimpered, but nodded.

"Okay," Kagome said, letting go of her older brother's ear. "Come with me. You're going to apologize to Rin."

Shippo's eyes widened, but the look Kagome was giving him brooked no room for argument.

Together, they walked back to where Rin and Sesshomaru were waiting.

Kagome cleared her throat, and Shippo turned to Rin and started on his long, very flowery apology, which he knew without asking was what his sister was demanding from him.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was giving Kagome a look that said, "Stop meddling and trying to set my sister up with your brother."

Kagome shot him a look that clearly said, "Make me."

They began to glare at each other.

With Shippo and Rin, Shippo had finished his apology and was blushing heavily. Rin, on the other hand, was quite confused, as she didn't understand why Shippo had apologized to her.

"Um, Shippo, I forgive you, I guess."

Shippo blocked out her hesitance and focused on her forgiveness. His face lit up.

"Kagome!" he exclaimed, interrupting the glaring match between Kagome and Sesshomaru. "She forgave me!"

Kagome abruptly turned to Shippo. She jumped to him and he swung her around in a circle.

"This is great! Now you have to take her to the park. It has a great garden and Rin loves flowers. You have to show it to her."

Shippo nodded enthusiastically.

Rin blinked. "Huh?"

Sesshomaru growled under his breath. He really hated being ignored.

Kagome turned to Rin. "You have to let Shipp take you to the garden."

"Oh, but, why don't you take me?"

Kagome rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious. "Just think of it as further apology on his part."

"An apology for what?"

"You'll understand soon."

Rin blinked confused, before Kagome pushed Shippo in her direction.

"Go on you two! Have fun! Shippo, mind your hands, and other things."

Shippo blushed, but nodded and led Rin away. Rin followed after him, glancing behind her shoulder at a still waving Kagome and a silently fuming Sesshomaru,

When the pair was out of sight, Kagome let her hand drop.

"That turned out better than I thought."

"Fool."

Kagome whirled around to look at Sesshomaru, who had just insulted her. "What? How am I a fool?"

"If you think that my little sister would ever all for someone with as little class as your brother, you are wrong, and thereby, foolish."

Kagome's mouth dropped open. "How dare you! My brother is very classy! Well, maybe not classy, but he's a gentleman, whenever he stops listening to his idiot friends."

Sesshomaru sneered at her. "So you say."

"I do say so, you jerk! Why don't you just shut up and stop talking about things you don't understand? I know for a fact that my brother and your sister are meant to be together, you're blind if you don't see it."

"You are just a senseless child who refuses to live in reality."

"Oh, really now? Well, why don't we just follow them to see whether or not you're right? I bet you they'll hit it off. They'll be dating in nanoseconds!"

"An exaggeration."

"Clearly!"

Sesshomaru glared at her, and Kagome huffed. "Whatever. I'm leaving."

With that said, she turned on her heel and stomped in the direction of the park. Soon, however, she realized that Sesshomaru was following after her.

"Why are you following me?"

"I intend to be there when you are proved wrong."

"Ugh! You know what? I have never hated anyone before, but I've decided. I hate you!"

"The feeling is reciprocated."

"Talk like a normal person!"

"I am not a normal person."

"Egomaniacal much?"

Sesshomaru was silent, and Kagome was sure she had won, when a sharp pain shot through her head.

She clutched the back of her head and turned to face Sesshomaru.

"Did you just throw something at me? What did you throw?"

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow. Kagome scowled and looked down. Close to her feet was a medium sized rock. Kagome's eyes widened.

"Were you trying to kill me?"

"No, but I would not have been distraught to see you go."

Kagome clenched her teeth. "You jerk!"

"Lead on," Sesshomaru said.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, before she turned and began walking again. She threw her hands up into the air.

"Gah!"

…

**What do you think? **

**I think that there's a hate-hate relationship going on between Sesshomaru and Kagome.**

**For Rin and Shippo…**

**I'm not sure how you classify that.**

**T.N.T!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey!**

**This chapter is basically setting events in motion. Getting ready for plans and action in the next chapters.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

…

Kagome and Sesshomaru walked the rest of the way to the park mutely. Sesshomaru relished in it, silently basking in the glow of his victory over the girl he was following. Kagome, on the other hand, wallowed in it, planning ways to kill Sesshomaru and make it look like an accident.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the park. When they did, Kagome followed the easily identifiable youki that her brother exuded. They reached a secluded section of the park, and Kagome wordlessly directed Sesshomaru to join her behind a cluster of bushes and trees.

The pair made their way down a worn out, overgrown path and came to a stop in a section of the park that was overflowing with yellow flowers. (The park was color-coded.)

This section of the park also happened to have Rin and Shippo in it.

Kagome was glowing when she saw them from her hidden vantage point, but her glow quickly faded when she took in the sight of an unwanted third party.

She growled under her breath, causing Sesshomaru to turn to her with a cocked eyebrow.

She gestured to the third party violently. "What is he doing here?"

"Taking in the scenery, I'd imagine."

Kagome glared at Sesshomaru, not at all appreciating the way he had nonchalantly drawled out his answer.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Perhaps you should be more clear."

"You knew that wasn't what I meant!"

"How do you know I knew?"

Kagome gritted her teeth and turned back to watch her targets. "He'll ruin everything."

"I disagree."

"That's to be expected," Kagome bit out without looking at her companion.

Silence descended as the pair watched Shippo, Rin, and the third party converse. They were only chatting about inconsequential things, so Kagome wasn't too worried. At least, not yet.

Sesshomaru spoke, surprising Kagome.

"Who is he?" the teenage inu daiyoukai asked.

Kagome frowned, turning to look at him. "That is Kohaku. He's my age and the little brother of a friend of mine. He's in my class. He's generally very quiet, but he's sweet and has his own fan club. The club doesn't have as many girls as Shippo's does," she said, with obvious pride, "but there's a decent amount."

"Hn."

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned back to her targets. What she saw made her mouth drop open.

Kohaku was blushing lightly, and Rin was blushing along with him, her hand raised to her mouth in typical giggly girl fashion. Shippo was turned away from them, his chin lifted in the air with his arms crossed and his lower lip jutting out.

Kagome's eyes widened. She turned back to Sesshomaru. "I turn around for one second," she hissed. "One! And look what happened!"

Sesshomaru looked and raised an eyebrow. "I do not see the problem."

"Of course you don't! Look at Shippo. He's not just pouting. He's teetering on the edge of a full-blown temper tantrum, plus a pout, fueled by jealousy! Do you know what sort of destruction that sort of tantrum could bring? Especially coming from a kitsune?"

Sesshomaru stared at her blankly, successfully conveying his lack of knowledge and concern without a single word.

Kagome groaned angrily. "This is your fault!"

"How so?"

"I don't know! It just is. And look at that! Don't you have a problem with that? Kohaku's flirting with her, and she's actually blushing. Shouldn't you be all over them?"

A smirk appeared on Sesshomaru's face. "As long as that boy is ruining whatever plans you have, I fully support him and all of his endeavors."

Kagome's eye twitched, and she was about to throw a fit, when she heard a distinctly familiar sniff.

"Hey, Kagome," a sullen voice said.

Kagome's twitch came back full force as she turned around slowly to face her still pouting brother.

"Shippo," she whispered menacingly. "What are you doing over here?"

Shippo gaped, his eyes widening in fear at the evil aura his sister was giving off. "Well, I noticed you guys over here and I wanted to join you. It's not like I was needed back with Rin and Kohaku anyway."

The last part was mumbled under his breath so low that Kagome couldn't hear it. Sesshomaru heard it though, and it prompted the minute broadening of his still-present smirk.

"Ugh!" Kagome groaned angrily. "Shippo, I am so disappointed in you. How are you supposed to win your girl if you're giving her up to Kohaku? He's Kohaku! He's got nothing on you! You're Shippo! He's Kohaku! There's no comparison. If you actually tried, there's no way he'd be able to beat you. But you gave up just because Rin was giggling!"

"She was blushing too," Shippo muttered.

"That's it!" Kagome said. "I'm going to give Kohaku a piece of my mind!"

Before anyone could stop her –not that Shippo could have or Sesshomaru would have– Kagome walked out of her hiding place and approached Kohaku and Rin.

"You!" Kagome said, pointing to Kohaku and shielding Rin from his sight. "What's your problem?"

Kohaku blinked. "Huh?"

"You can't just flirt with her! You cheater!"

"Cheater?" Rin asked from behind Kagome.

Kagome turned around and looked at Rin. "Yes! He's a cheater! He's cheating on Satsuki!"

"What?" Kohaku said, obviously confused.

Shippo suddenly burst out of the hiding place, Sesshomaru following after him at a more sedate pace.

"Wait a second!" Shippo cried, pointing to Kohaku. "What's this about him dating Satsuki? She's in my fan club! He can't be dating her!"

Kagome turned to her brother incredulously. "Seriously? Is that what you're worried about? I will personally disband your fan club if you don't focus!"

She walked over to him and pulled on his ear.

"Ow!"

"Focus, Shippo. Focus!"

Behind them, Kohaku and Rin stared at the scene in bemusement.

"Umm…" Kohaku started. "I'm not dating Satsuki, Rin. So, would you like to go out with me?"

Kagome stopped pulling on Shippo's ear and turned to look at Kohaku, gaping. Shippo had stiffened and his eyes were narrowed. Sesshomaru smirked in amusement and self-satisfaction, though why he was so satisfied with himself was a mystery.

Rin was oblivious to everyone else's reactions, too focused on what Kohaku had just asked her. A blush covered her face attractively, and Kohaku gulped nervously.

"You want to go out with me?"

Kohaku nodded.

"Oh. Well… I was hanging out with Shippo," she protested half-heartedly, weakly motioning with her hand to where Shippo was standing.

"You should go," Shippo said sharply.

Everyone looked at him: Rin and Kohaku in surprise, Kagome in anger and disbelief, and Sesshomaru in amusement that was becoming more pronounced with every passing second.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked hesitantly.

"What's it to me? Go, have fun," Shippo said, shrugging in false nonchalance.

Rin's face lit up. "Great! Okay, I'll go with you, Kohaku. I'll see you guys later, okay? Bye!"

So saying, Rin turned to Kohaku, who blushed and offered her his arm. She giggled prettily, blushing herself as she took it.

They walked off, leaving Shippo to face his death at the hands of his sister with only Sesshomaru as a witness.

"What was that?" Kgome asked, her voice devoid of all emotion.

Shippo's nonchalant façade melted away to be replaced by edginess and fear.

"I'm sorry, Kagome! I didn't mean to say that!"

"No?" Kagome asked, letting go of his ear to grab his shirt. She pulled him closer to her until his nose was touching hers. "Well what did you mean to say?"

"Uh… That I was jealous and I wanted her to stay by me forever and that she couldn't leave with him because it would break my heart?" Shippo tried.

Kagome let him go with a huff. "We'll revisit this at WacDonald's."

Shippo gulped, the significance of the setting not lost on him. They only ever went to WacDonald's when Kagome was so angry she needed to be in a public place to avoid murder. Sometimes, without people around, she forgot that homicide was illegal.

"Let's go!" Kagome commanded, turning on her heel and walking forwards.

Shippo followed behind her submissively, and Sesshomaru debated joining them.

…

Kagome's eyebrow twitched as she sat down in the booth at WacDonald's. She watched with narrowed eyes as Sesshomaru slid into the boot across from her and Shippo joined him, avoiding her gaze.

Kagome grit her teeth, but the action couldn't stop her from exploding.

"Why in the world did you follow us? Shouldn't you be following your sister to make sure that Kohaku doesn't take advantage of her?"

She pointed at Sesshomaru, her chest heaving up and down in anger.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "The boy is harmless."

Kagome's mouth dropped open.

"He's not harmless," Shippo said, butting in. "He's a ninja."

Kagome glared at him, causing him to shrink back. "He's not a ninja, he's a youkai slayer."

"He is still harmless.," Sesshomaru said.

"How do you figure?"

"Rin is not youkai."

Kagome threw her hands up angrily. "That doesn't matter! He's a teenage boy! What if he can't control himself and he lets his hormones rule and he attacks Rin and tries to ravage her and ends up stealing her innocence? How would you feel then, huh? You'd be a terrible brother and you'd be consumed with guilt because it'd be your fault because you didn't follow them! I bet you he's taking her to a deserted alleyway in the slums right now!"

Sesshomaru stared at her blankly before turning to Shippo. "She is serious?"

Shippo nodded, covering his face in shame. "I'm afraid so."

"You!" Kagome said, pointing to Shippo. "You should be ashamed of yourself, not me! How could you let her go off with him? You encouraged her! You told her to go! You are a terrible person! What sort of kitsune are you? What sort of male are you? You are nothing! You're secretly Jakotsu's twin!"

Shippo gasped and his eyes filled with tears. "How could you say that?" he asked, leaning forward and setting his elbows on the table. "I'm nothing like Jakotsu!"

"Really? Prove it! Why aren't you man enough to go after her?"

"She's on a date!"

Kagome sighed and banged her head on the table. "You're pathetic."

"I know."

Silence descended over the table. It was broken when Kagome lifted her head up and pumped her fist in the air.

"We need to plan your next move!"

"Yeah!" Shippo exclaimed.

"So, you have to woo her slowly. I think once a day, you should give her a gift."

"What sort of gift?" Sesshomaru asked, startling Kagome and Shippo.

"Oh, well I think a flower a day will keep Kohaku away. And there should be a meaning behind each flower."

"Rin is well versed in floriography," Sesshomaru said.

Kagome grinned and turned to Shippo. "It should start out slow and then the meanings should deepen over time."

"That sounds good," Shippo said with a nod.

"How long will this plan last?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you care? Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "I wish to know your plan so that I can stop it. I do not want my sister to fall to your brother's nonexistent charms due to your interference."

"Hey! I have charm!"

"I can't believe you!" Kagome said, ignoring Shippo's protests in favor of her own.

"Why not?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Ugh! Shouldn't you be worried about Rin and Kohaku?"

"I do not hold your irrational fears of my sister being attacked by that weak human."

"You have something against humans?" Kagome asked, jumping from one topic to the next.

"Yes."

"What about your sister?"

"She is different."

"You are so prejudiced!"  
"You do not know me."

"After spending half an hour with you, I know you well enough to say that! You're completely one-dimensional. I can see straight through you!"

Sesshomaru growled. "Hold your tongue."

Shippo cowered and tried to shrink away from Sesshomaru, who he was sharing a booth with. This argument was setting his hair on end.

"I will not hold my tongue! You're a terrible person who doesn't understand love! I doubt you'll ever find a girl to love you because you would never be able to love them back! That's the only reason you're protesting the blossoming relationship between Shippo and Rin! You don't want anyone to find true love because you'll never find it."

Sesshomaru growled.

Shippo rubbed his chin. "You know what? I think Sesshomaru will find true love."

Kagome turned to Shippo in disbelief. "Why in the world would you think that? Look at him!"

"While I will admit that he seems very cold, I know for a fact that there is one person who would love him."

"Who?"

"The one person who complements him perfectly. His exact mirror in female form. Kikyo will end up being his wife and mate!" Shippo turned to Sesshomaru, all of his fear forgotten as he grinned. "You should start dating. Even though she's human, she's perfect for you."

Sesshomaru glared at Shippo, but before the inu youkai could say anything, Kagome stood grabbing Shippo's arm.

"We're leaving!"

After she said that, she pulled Shippo out of the booth and ran out of the restaurant, Shippo stumbling behind her.

For once, Sesshomaru didn't follow.

…

Kagome breathed heavily as she pushed her brother into the mini-shrine and followed after him. She slid the door shut and leaned against it as she caught her breath.

Shippo was also catching his breath, and checking his wrist to make sure he didn't have a bruise. His sister was so rough with him all of the time, it was a miracle that he wasn't completely banged up all the time.

"Curse my tender skin!" he whispered under his breath.

Kagome finally caught her breath and stood up. She turned around and placed her hand on the door.

Shippo felt the familiar tingle of her power wash through him and he knew she was putting up a barrier.

He had to wonder what was going on. Especially when she turned to him with a smile that made him shiver in anticipation. He knew that smile. It was the smile that always made him think she should have been born a kitsune.

"Shippo," she said happily, "you are an absolute genius."

Shippo blinked. He preened a bit at the praise, but he was clueless as to why she was praising him. He instantly dismissed that thought. After she had been abusing him the past few days, he would take any praise he could get.

Shippo glowed. "Thank you, sis."

Kagome looked at him appraisingly before she sighed. "You have no idea what I am talking about, do you?"

Shippo fidgeted. "No. I don't know what you're talking about."

Kagome slapped a hand to her face.

"Don't hit yourself!" Shippo yelled. "You're too pretty to take any abuse. Just like me, only you don't seem to understand that."

"Shippo!" Kagome cried. "Focus."

"On what?"

"Honestly. You can't guess what I'm thinking?"

Shippo looked at her. A smirk had wormed its way onto her face and there was a particularly evil look in her eye. It was a look that made him shiver, but not in anticipation. She only had that look on her face and in her eyes when she wanted revenge and planned on getting it at all costs.

There were only three people Shippo could think of that she could want to torture at the moment: Kohaku, Sesshomaru, or himself.

He doubted it was Kohaku; he had probably faded out of her mind when she had begun yelling.

He was pretty sure it wasn't himself; she had never wanted to torture him bad enough to use that look.

That only left Sesshomaru, and considering the fact that they had just left him, the odds were in the daiyoukai's favor –or… not in his favor.

"Well?" Kagome prompted.

"You want to torture Sesshomaru for some reason?"

"Yes! Because he's a jerk and he deserves to be in pain for the rest of his annoyingly long life!"

Shippo nodded. "And –not that I'm disputing your opinion or anything– how does my genius fit in with your desire to torture Sesshomaru?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and walked over to Shippo. She put her arm around her shoulder and leaned against him. "Ah, my dear older brother. Your genius has everything to do with it. You gave me the perfect plan to torture him, my sweet kitsune."

"What plan was that, my dear, sweet sister?" Shippo asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

Kagome set her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. She looked like an angel, but Shippo knew that she was only half-angel, no matter what her partially dead, comatose, and hospital bound admirers –read stalkers– said.

"The plan," Kagome said sweetly, "is to set that jerk up with Kikyo."

Shippo blinked as her words sunk in and a smile wormed its way onto his face. "So, you're finally admitting that Kikyo is torture, and any guy who ends up with her is in for a lifetime of pain and suffering and that they'll never be happy and misery will follow them to the ends of the earth?"

Kagome's eye twitched. "I didn't say all that, but you have the general idea underneath all of that extra stuff."

Shippo nodded appreciatively. "So, let me get this straight. You want Sesshomaru and Kikyo to get together, and you want to be the one to make that happen."

"Correct."

"You're crazy."

"I am not!"

"No, you're right. You're certifiably insane."

"I'm not!" Kagome whined.

"I love you sis, but I'm not suicidal. I don't know how far you can push Sesshomaru until he snaps, and he seems like the type to snap by snapping necks."

"It's almost like you have no faith in me," Kagome complained.

"And I don't feel like having my neck snapped," Shippo continued as if Kagome hadn't interrupted him.

"Do you not trust me?" she asked pitifully with a pout.

Shippo sighed. "You're going to get me to help you whether I want to help or not, so I'm in."

Kagome beamed up at him before kissing him on the cheek. "You're so sweet," she said before skipping away from him.

She took down the barrier she had set up and exited the well house, leaving Shippo alone with his thoughts.

"I'm going to die. Sesshomaru's going to kill me because I helped set him up with Kikyo, and I'll never get to marry his sister. Kagome must really hate me," he said to himself.

…

**It was shorter than I had wanted it to be.**

**Boo!**

**T.N.T!**


End file.
